HONOLULU, HI – The Hawai‘i State Legislature has sent HB748 HD2 SD2 — a bill that would significantly reform the state’s civil asset forfeiture program — to Governor Ige for his signature. The American Civil Liberties Union of Hawai’i (ACLU of Hawai‘i) and Drug Policy Forum of Hawai‘i (DPFH), both of which supported HB748, have […]

The ACLU of Hawai‘i is proud to announce the addition to its team of Monica Espitia, Smart Justice Campaign Director. Monica will be leading the ACLU of Hawaii’s local, on-the-ground Smart Justice work. Hawai’i is participating in the ACLU’s nationwide Smart Justice campaign, an initiative focused on reducing mass incarceration by fifty percent while addressing […]

Groups and individuals representing a broad range of interests and constituencies today released a statement expressing disappointment in the continued “sweeps” of the houseless community – many of whom are families – by the City and County of Honolulu. The statement is as follows: At 3:00 am on New Year’s Eve the City and County […]

Please pardon our dust as we prepare over the next few months for our new ACLU of Hawai‘i website, which aims to make it easier than ever to find the information and resources about our civil rights work in Hawai‘i. In the meantime, as we do some cleanup, there may be a few broken links […]

We cannot criminalize our way out of an affordable housing crisis. But that is now the City’s plan. The City Council passed, and Mayor Caldwell has today signed, Bills 51 and 52. These expand on failed policies that cost taxpayers millions of dollars and accomplish nothing to address the root causes of Honolulu’s escalating affordable […]